2011 Season Opener - Saints @ Packers

Rodgers celebrating 2010 Superbowl win

Tonight the 2011 NFL season gets underway, with the 2010 Superbowl Champion Green Bay Packers, taking on the 2009 Superbowl winners, the New Orleans Saints at the historic Lambeau Field.  What a fantastic occasion this promises to be, as not only are these teams the last 2 Superbowl winners, they are both fully expected to go a long way towards winning it all again this year.  Would you be at all surprised if this was the matchup for the NFC Championship in late January??  Because I wouldn't.

Will Mark Ingram get the start?

The Saints have strengthened their team during the offseason, and will undoubtedly be as effective as ever on offence.  Led by QB Drew Brees, the Saints passing game is considered one of the best in the league.  What I'm very interested to see tonight though is how the run game will be managed.  They still have RB Piere Thomas from last year, but with Reggie Bush now in Miami, they drafted Mark Ingram (from Alabama) and bought in the explosive Darren Sproles from the Chargers.  Will Thomas be the starter??  Will Ingram be the starter??  Will they split carries??  How will Sproles be used??  These are all questions that will be answered tonight.  My guess is that Thomas and Ingram will split carries, and they will use Sproles on kick returns and sometimes on 3rd down.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how the Saints new D Line will look.  1st Round draft pick DE Cameron Jordan will team up with Aubrayo Franklin, Shaun Rodgers and Sedrick Ellis.  This D line will need to get some pressure onto Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, otherwise he will be able to pick them apart.  This defence was the best in the league at creating turnovers in 2009 when they won the Superbowl.  They will need to get back to this standard if they are to stop the champions tonight.

RB Ryan Grant is back from injury

The Packers go into tonight's game, knowing that the Superbowl Champions haven't lost the opening game of the following season, since the Broncos did it against the Dolphins in 1999.  Although they didn't bring anybody in over the offseason through free agency, they have all their players back from the IR list from last year.  There were a total of 15 players on that list, and were missing during their run to the Superbowl.  These include RB Ryan Grant, TE Jermichael Finley and T Mark Tauscher.  With all these players returning to a Superbowl winning roster, the whole NFL knows that the Packers are the team to beat.

QB Aaron Rodgers and this pass offence is also considered as one of the best in the league.  The secondary for both teams will be in for an aerial bombardment tonight.  The Packers also have an interesting situation in the backfield.  When starting RB Ryan Grant got hurt last year, in stepped James Starks.  Starks was fantastic in the playoffs, so it will be interesting to see who starts as the Packers RB to.

I see this game being a fantastic advert for the NFL brand, with lots of points being scored by both teams.  They key to the game in my opinion though is the run game for both sides.  Both sides will score, but I believe that the team that can control the clock with the run game, will get this opening day win.

Who do you think will win the game tonight?? Let me know by leaving a comment, email - nflgbview@googlemail.com or contact me on Twitter - nflgbview.

Ravens 21 Falcons 26

The first 'Thursday Night Football' game of the year was a great game between 2 great teams, but the home Falcons managed to dig deep and get the win in the end.  To be fair to the Falcons, they dominated in the first half, leading 10 - 0 at the break.  Their 2 scores came from RB Jason Snelling (28 yard pass) and a 28 yard FG by Matt Bryant.  Falcons QB Matt Ryan had a great day, and really looks to be developing into the franchise QB.  He finished the game with 316 yards and 3 TD's, 0 INT's.  It was a good job that Ryan had a good day, as the Ravens tough defence was very stingy against the run.  RB Micheal Turner had only 39 yards in the game.

The Falcons defence though was dominant, getting a huge amount of pressure onto Ravens QB Joe Flacco.  Flacco had a good 2nd half, as the Ravens made their comeback attempt.  His numbers on the day were 215 yards, 3 TD's and 1 INT.  The catalyst for the Ravens comeback though was WR Anquan Boldin.  Boldin had 5 catches for 50 yards and a TD on the day.  But it was not particularly his performance on the field that lifted the team, Boldin was seen every time the offence was off the field walking around, talking to his team mates, motivating them.  He actually gathered the offence together before the first Ravens TD drive.  Flacco found Boldin himself from 5 yards out, to cut the lead to 13 - 7.

The Falcons though responded, and WR Roddy White got his first TD of the day, a 4 yard pass from Ryan.  White was the star of the game, catching 12 balls for 128 yards and 2 TD's.  He actually dropped 2 balls that were right at him, one that nearly cost the Falcons the game.  With the score 20 - 14, following a Derrick Mason TD for the Ravens, and just over 3 minutes on the clock, the Falcons faced a 3rd and 4.  Trying to take time off the clock, Ryan hit White right in the hands with a 5 yard pass, which he inexpliciply dropped.  This meant the Ravens got the ball back, and Flacco lead them down the field in 8 plays and 2 minutes, before finding TE Todd Heap from 9 yards.  The extra point from K Billy Cundiff gave the Ravens their first lead of the night, 21 - 20, with just 1.05 on the clock.

This was when QB Matt Ryan came into his own.  He found WR Michael Jenkins for 24 yards, White for 15 yards, before throwing a pass to TE Tony Gonzalez on 3rd down which fell incomplete.  The officials though had thrown a flag for pass interference, and the drive was still alive.  Ryan then looked long for Roddy White, who appeared to push off his defender slightly, before taking off for a 33 yard TD.  This time there was no flag and the Georgia Dome erupted.

This was a great win for the Falcons, one that will now catapult them into the conversation as one of the best teams in not only the NFC, but the league.  The Ravens were under no illusions on how difficult this game would be for them, but they really acquitted themselves well in defeat.  They to have a great young QB, and are without doubt one of the best teams in the entire NFL.  Was last nights game a 'Superbowl' dress rehearsal??  I certainly wouldn't mind seeing that game again.

Thursday Night Football

Tonight see's the first of a series of  7 games on Thursday nights, from now, until week 16.  These games are broadcast in the States by NFL Network, their only live games of the year.  These games are also available to view live at nfl.com and live in the UK on Sky Sports.

Here is the full list of the rest of the Thursday Night slate :

Week 10 - 11th Nov - Ravens @ Falcons.
Week 11 - 18th Nov - Bears @ Dolphins.
Week 12 - 25th Nov - Bengals @ Jets.
Week 13 - 2nd Dec - Texans @ Eagles.
Week 14 - 9th Dec - Colts @ Titans.
Week 15 - 16th Dec - 49'ers @ Chargers.
Week 16 - 23rd Dec - Panthers @ Steelers.
Week 17 - 25th Dec - Cowboys @ Cardinals.

So as you can see there are some great games to view, and we don't have to wait from Monday until Sunday for NFL action anymore.

This weeks game is a great one, and has been described by many as a possible Superbowl preview.  We will have to see about that.  Take a look at my preview of the game, and also my prediction.  Enjoy football on Thursdays people!!

Thursday Night Football

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cleveland Browns

‘Thursday night football’ this week comes live from the Dog pound as the 1 – 11 Browns host their divisional rival 6 – 6 Steelers. This game is absolutely vital for the Steelers playoff hopes. If they lose this, they can pretty much forget making the post season. The Browns have not been making the playoffs for a long time, so a prime time game, at home, against a divisional rival is as good as it gets for them. I’m sure that they will be relishing playing spoiler in this game. To be completely honest, I don’t think they have a chance.

A big talking point surrounding the Cleveland Browns is who will be the QB next year. Will it be Brady Quinn? Derek Anderson? Or will they use draft picks (which will obviously be high ones) to select somebody? I personally believe that Brady Quinn should be the future. The problem he has had this year is that he has a very poor surrounding cast, and the coaches are very conservative. I would like to see Quinn, with a decent receiver, and being allowed to air the ball out a bit. I think you would see a different player in this situation. Quinn may be able to throw the ball a bit easier than expected in this game as the Steelers are still without Polomalu. This, of course, makes this defence a lot less scary than normal. I think Quinn has an ok game, but as I said before, the supporting cast are not up to much. One interesting thing to look out for is kick returner on the Browns Josh Cribbs. He is one of the elite returners in the league, and may run riot against this poor Steelers coverage unit.

The Steelers will have Big Ben back at QB for this game. This obviously drastically improves the offence. Ironically, after criticising Big Bens toughness when he missed the Ravens game, WR Hines Ward looks to be out of this game. Wonder what Ben makes of this?? The loss of Ward would decrease the effectiveness of the Steelers passing game, but they should easily win this game on the ground. The Browns defence ranks 29th in rush defence. Also they have now lost nose tackle Shaun Rodgers, who was a beast in that defensive line. His loss undoubtedly increases the Steelers ability in the run game. Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall is getting 5 yards/carry this year and have 5 TD’s. I expect him to have a big game here.

Lee’s Prediction: Steelers 24 Browns 7

Jets 19 Bills 13

This game went pretty much to plan. The Jets got the win to improve to 6 – 6, and just about keep alive their slim playoff hopes. Mark Sanchez had 104 yards and a TD before leaving the game with a knee injury. As expected though it was not the Jets passing game that won them this game. Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene had huge games on the ground. Jones had 109 yards and Greene had 59 yards. Their TD did come in the passing game though as Sanchez found Braylon Edwards, who showed an amazing amount of determination and balance to leap forward, and break the plain. This was a bright spot in a frustrating pass game for the Jets. What just about summed up the Jets passing performance was in the 1st quarter. The Bills completely lost track of Braylon Edwards as he ran a streak down the field, Sanchez put the ball right on him, literally. The long bomb came down, hit Edwards in the facemask, and bounced to the floor. This lack of a passing game was the reason behind the Jets having to settle for 4 FG’s. This poor offensive efficiency will stop the Jets from making a playoff run. Another reason that they won this game was the performance of the defence. The Jets D allowed just 194 yards total to the Bills. A major reason why was the performance of Darrelle Revis. He followed TO all over the field and, as expected, shut him down. TO had just 3 catches for 31 yards ( 1 for 15 when Revis was not on him) This was another great performance by the best Corner Back in the league. Important win for the Jets, but I think it is too little too late.

Get in touch!! Either leave a comment, email nflgbview@googlemail.com or twitter.

Thursday Night Football

New York Jets @ Buffalo Bills

The Thursday night football this week is a AFC East clash between the 5 – 6 Jets and the 4 – 7 Bills in Toronto. If the Jets are to keep hold of any playoff hopes they must win here. The Bills, coming off a win against division rival Dolphins, will look to play spoiler again here. If the Bills are to win, they will need to get pressure onto Mark Sanchez, as we know this rookie can be prone to mistakes. This may be lethal here against the opportunistic Bills secondary, that rank 7th in the NFL against the pass. I think that the Jets will try to establish the run, against this last ranked Bills rush defence. This should be a good strategy, as Jones and Greene should get this 2nd ranked rush attack on top. If they get this rush game going, they may be able to use Sanchez in play action situations. If the Bills are to score enough points they will need Ryan Fitzpatrick to find TO. This seems to be a trend since Fitzpatrick took over at QB, as Owens’s numbers have increased dramatically. TO will defiantly have his hands full though, as I imagine Darrelle Revis (the best corner in the game in my opinion) will be tracking him all over the field. I believe that the Bills are improving under Perry Fewell, but they will not have enough to see off the Jets here.

Lee’s Prediction: Jets 21 Bills 10

Thanksgiving Review

Packers 34 Lions 12
The Packers came in with a very professional attitude, and got the job done. On the opening kickoff of the game, the Lions kicked to the Packers, but the kick was fumbled and recovered by the Lions. The Lions scored quickly as Matt Stafford through a quick strike to Calvin Johnson, and Ford field was rocking. From this moment on thought the Packers dominated the game. Aaron Rodgers threw for 348 yards and 3 TD’s. Donald Driver had 7 catches for 142 yards and 1 TD. The Packers soon quietened the home crowd and they held a 27 – 7 lead going into the 4th quarter. In the 4th the Lions managed to get a safety and a FG, before Woodson picked off Stafford for the 4th time of the day, and returned it for a TD. This was a vital game for the Packers, and they got it done. The Lions have a decent looking offence that will get better with experience, but the defence is awful, look for a lot of early draft picks to be spent on that side of the ball in April.

Raiders 7 Cowboys 24
This game went exactly as expected. The Cowboys looked back to their best on offence. Romo threw for 309 yards, 2 TD’s and 0 INT’s. His favourite targets in the game were Miles Austin (145 yards and 1 TD) and Jason Witten (107 yards). The Cowboys also had a decent day on the ground with Jones, Choice and Barber running for 68, 67 and 61 yards respectively. This balance saw the Cowboys blow the Raiders away. The Cowboys have now taken control of the NFC East after the Giants result in Denver. The question now is, can they keep up this level of performance against a better defence? This question will be answered over the next few weeks as they play the Giants, the Chargers and the Saints. The Raiders looked better with Gradkowski at QB, but they still have a lot of improving to do.

Giants 6 Broncos 26
This was a hugely dominating performance by the Denver Broncos. The defence held the Giants to just 57 yards rushing, and sacked Eli Manning 3 times. Elvis Dumervil and Brian Dawkins played inspired as the Broncos broke a 4 game losing streak. The Giants on the other hand looked a mess. Eli Manning threw for 230 yards, 0 TD’s and 1 INT. Brandon Jacobs ran for just 27 yards on 11 carries, as the Broncos completely shut him down. Kyle Orton started for the Broncos, and seems to be completely over his injury. This is great news for the Broncos for the run in towards the playoffs. The Broncos, now 7 – 4, are now just 0.5 games behind the Chargers. They also have 3 very winnable games on their schedule, and should at least go 10 – 6. I believe this would see them into the playoffs, either as division winners, or as a wild card. The Giants now have a mountain to climb in the very competitive NFC East. With the Cowboys victory and if the Eagles win on Sunday, they have a lot of work to do.

Any questions?? email nflgbview@googlemail.com or tweet to nflgbview.

Thanksgiving Football

Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions

The first game of the Thanksgiving holiday is always hosted by the Lions (2 – 8), and their opponents this year will be divisional rival Packers (6 – 4). This is a hugely important game for the Packers in their quest for the playoffs. The Lions are coming off a very good win against the Browns and will hope that the emotion from that game will carry over to this one. Also in their favour, is the fact that the Detroit locals love the ‘Thanksgiving Day’ tradition, and always turn out in numbers to support the Lions. These 2 facts, coupled with the news just in that both QB Matt Stafford, and WR Calvin Johnson will start this game, give the Lions a defiant emotional edge. The Packers have just this week lost both CB Al Harris and LB Aaron Kampman to season ending injuries. It will be interesting to see how their improving defence deals with these losses. In the game between the 2 teams earlier in the year, the Lions managed to sack Aaron Rodgers 5 times, although the Packers won the game 26 – 0. Detroit will need to get pressure if their 32nd ranked pass defence is to have any chance against Rodgers and co. For some reason I actually like the Lions to cause an upset here, but don’t believe in it strongly enough to pick it

Lee’s Prediction: Packers 17 Lions 13

Oakland Raiders @ Dallas Cowboys

The 2nd game of the Thanksgiving football feast, as always, has the Cowboys (7 – 3) hosting the Raiders (3 – 7). The Raiders have finally gone with QB Bruce Gradkowski, in place of the very poor JaMarcus Russell. This switch helped them in their win against the Bengals at the weekend; the big question here is whether he can continue that form. Gradkowski will need to play well against this impressive Cowboy defence. This unit has helped keep the Cowboys close in recent weeks, as the offence has been struggling (just 14 points in the last 2 games). Another worry for the Cowboys is that QB Tony Romo did take a knock in the game at the weekend, and although he will start, he will not be 100%. This game, like the first one, is very important for one teams playoff challenge (in this case the Cowboys), but the underdog in the game is coming off a win at the weekend, and would love to spoil the party. Although I can see Detroit coming close, I cannot see the Raiders troubling the Cowboys in Dallas. The Raiders offence is the worst in the league is most categories, and even if the Cowboys struggle to put up point, the defence will see them through.

Lee’s Prediction: Raiders 6 Cowboys 24

New York Giants @ Denver Broncos

The final game on Thanksgiving is a rotating game handpicked by the league. This year’s edition sees the 6 – 4 Giants travel to Mile High, to play the 6 – 4 Broncos. The Broncos are in real trouble after losing their last 4 games, including the beat down by the Chargers just 4 days ago. They really need to kick start their season if they want to keep their playoff push alive. The Giants have also been on a 4 game losing streak recently, snapping it just this weekend against Atlanta. They will be looking to get their playoff push going, as their division is getting tighter and tighter. The problem in recent weeks for the Broncos has been their inability to stop the run. Look for New York to try to establish the run early and often. This might be easier said than done though as both Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, are carrying injuries for the Giants. The major problem for the Broncos is going to be their banged up QB. Orton played the 2nd half on Sunday, and was visibly in pain. This really doesn’t bode well against this very aggressive Giants defence. I think the Giants get the win here, and the Broncos slide continues.

Lee’s Prediction: Giants 24 Broncos 13

Don’t forget to get in touch if you have any questions at all regarding the NFL. Get in touch through comments, email @ nflgbview@googlemail.com, or on twitter – nflgbview. Enjoy Thanksgiving, its GAMETIME!!

Dolphins 24 Panthers 17

The Thursday night matchup between 2 teams fighting for their playoff lives. Both teams had injuries, but both teams came out, played hard and produced a good game. All the talk before the game was about Ronnie Browns injury, and how the Dolphins would run the wildcat. The answer was they wouldn’t run it much (just 3 times), but Ricky Williams did score a TD from the formation. Williams stepped up big in Browns absence, he ran for 119 yards and 2 TD’s behind the huge blocking from FB Lousaka Polite. QB Chad Henne had a decent game throwing for 172 yards and a TD. He also came up big with many conversions on 3rd down. The Panthers played well in this game also, and kept it close until the end. Delhomme threw for 227 yards and a TD (also 1 INT), and the RB’s had a combined 165 yards. Steve Smith also had a big game, and looks to be getting back to his best, which is a big plus for the Panthers. Smith had 7 catches for 87 yards and a TD. The difference on the night was the performance of the Dolphins defence. They got to Delhomme with 4 sacks, (to Carolina’s 0) and forced the INT by Nate Jones. These misfires by the Panthers cost them in a very even game. The Dolphins now will believe they can make a push towards the playoffs. They have the Bills this week, followed by the Patriots. After these 2 games, we should know where they stand. The Panthers aren’t completely out of the playoff picture in the weaker NFC. But they now cannot afford another slip up. Their next game is in New York, against the Jets, a game the Phins will want them to win no doubt.

Thursday Night Football

Miami Dolphins @ Carolina Panthers

The 4 – 5 Dolphins travel to Carolina to take on the 4 – 5 Panthers. The big news surrounding this game is that the Dolphins star RB Ronnie Brown is out for the season. This is a massive blow for the Phins as not only is Brown their best offensive option at running back, he is also the player that takes the direct snaps out of the ‘Wildcat’ formation. The Panthers aren’t without their injury worries, after left tackle broke his ankle at the weekend, leaving him out for the rest of the year. The majority of the offensive plays in this game should be run plays. The Panthers are 3rd and the Dolphins are 4th ranked in rush offence (although the Phins numbers may be affected by the loss of Brown). So you would think that the performance of the defences against the rush would be the key to the game. The Dolphins are 7th, and the Panthers are 25th in this category. Carolina QB Jake Delhomme has improved significantly over the past few weeks, and after throwing 13 INT’s in his first 6 games, he hasn’t thrown any in his last 3. He will need to take care of the ball in this game, against the ball hawking Dolphins defence. The Dolphins QB is first year starting Chad Henne. Although Henne has done ok since taking over from Chad Pennington in week 3, he is still learning. He may well struggle in this game against the Panthers impressive secondary (ranked 4th against the pass). I believe the performance of Ricky Williams (Dolphins number 2 RB) will be the key to this game. If he can gain a good amount of yards the Dolphins will have a chance. If he struggles, the Panthers rush attack will overwhelm them, and probably finish the Dolphins playoff hopes.

Lee’s Prediction: Dolphins 10 Panthers 17

Thursday Night Football

Chicago Bears @ San Francisco 49’ers

The first edition of Thursday night football this season sees the 4 – 4 Bears in San Francisco, to play the 3 – 5 49’ers. This is a big game for both teams as they try to keep pace with the leading teams in their division. The Bears are not the defence that we are used to seeing, due to the early season ending injury to LB Brian Urlacher. The defence is now just an average unit, and is also pretty poor against the run. On the offensive side of the ball the Bears have been very disappointing in the run game. Coming in to the season Matt Forte was expected to be one of the top RB’s in the league, but he has struggled so far. QB Jay Cutler has had big numbers, but has also struggled with turnovers, especially on the road. Alex Smith is now the starting QB for the 49ers, he also has had his problems with turning the ball over. When he does keep hold of the ball though, he has done very well. He has done especially well throwing to TE Vernon Davis, who has had a big season (477 receiving yards and 7 TD’s). With this production, along with the improving rookie Michael Crabtree, the 49’ers should have a decent passing attack. Also the run game is quite impressive, with the double headed monster, Gore and Coffee. I believe the run defence of the 49ers will keep the struggling Bears run game quite, therefore forcing Cutler to throw more and tempting fate, with those turnover tendencies. I believe Gore and Coffee will get it done against this weakened Bears defence, and the big play ability of Crabtree and Davis will see the 49’ers through.

Lee’s Prediction: Bears 14 49’ers 24

Tell me your prediction for the game at nflgbview@googlemail.com.